Chapter 20
Sure that the permit to use the green and, if needed, the hall, were safe in Violet’s capable hands, Bea was keen to get the first book club event confirmed.
She’d had fifteen sign-ups already, and had provisionally set the date for a week on Tuesday, so she was relieved when a letter on official Parish Council headed paper arrived just two days later to confirm that all permissions had been granted, even congratulating her on her innovation and wishing her luck.
Bea made a mental note to send Violet some flowers to say thank you and, of course, offer her a free ticket to the next book club meeting.
She had an hour to kill before her shift at the Cosy Cat, so decided to head into the village early and pay a visit to the Pink Ribbon to ask about collaborating on her subscription service, and hopefully to pick Simon or Anya’s brains.
Bea was full of ideas, but there was so much choice online, she didn’t really know where to start.
She’d visited the shop a couple of times to buy greetings cards and candles, but she didn’t know Simon and Anya at all, so she hoped they wouldn’t think she was being cheeky by asking for their advice.
‘Morning,’ said a woman Bea hoped was Anya, looking up from a stunning silk scarf she was wrapping up.
‘Hi, sorry, are you the owner?’ Bea asked.
‘I am, yes. Well, me and my partner, Simon. I’m Anya, how can I help you?’ she asked.
‘Well, I was hoping I could pick your brain, if that’s okay? I’ve just opened a mobile bookshop and I want to get my online store and subscription service up and running soon. I’m selling book-themed gifts as well, and I was thinking…’
‘Who better to ask than someone who runs a gift shop?’
‘Well, yes, exactly,’ Bea laughed.
‘Happy to help,’ said Anya, smiling broadly. ‘What do you want to know?’
‘There are so many things to choose from, it’s hard to know where to start, really. Plus, I don’t want to step on your toes and sell anything that you already stock here.’
‘Well, that’s really kind of you to even think about, so thank you. Not everyone would consider that,’ said Anya, gratefully.
‘So, do you sell anything bookish here?’
‘Only the bookmarks,’ said Anya, pointing to a carousel by the door. ‘But they’re quite popular, particularly the animal ones.’
‘These are cute!’ said Bea, picking up one covered in kittens.
‘And we’ve got some local interest books by the till, they’re for tourists mainly. We’ve got a wholesaler we use who offers sale or return, so anything that doesn’t sell can be sent back. I’ll give you their details if you like?’ said Anya.
‘That would be great, thank you,’ Bea replied.
‘You’re going to need to think about shipping costs and packaging for your subscription service, though, but that’s not something we do here.’
‘You don’t have an online shop?’
‘Nope, just the physical shop, and even that might not be open for much longer…’ said Anya, her voice breaking a little.
‘You’re not shutting down, are you?’ Bea asked.
‘We’re not sure at the moment. My mum’s not been well, so we’ve been thinking about moving back to Scotland to be nearer to her.’
‘And you’d have to give up the shop, I suppose, if you can’t find someone to run it for you?’
‘Yep,’ Anya nodded. ‘The lease is up soon, so in a way it’s perfect timing. The landlord’s lovely, so I’m sure he’d have let us renew, but…’
‘Couldn’t your mum move to Sussex instead so you could stay here?’ Bea suggested.
‘I wouldn’t even ask her. She loves Scotland, and all her friends and memories are there. We lost my dad a few years ago, and I know it would break her heart to leave their home,’ Anya explained, her eyes misty with tears.
‘I’m so sorry,’ said Bea, with genuine sympathy. ‘That must be really tough.’
‘Thanks. I appreciate that,’ said Anya, keen to change the subject. ‘If you need any more advice, my door’s always open. Well, for now anyway.’
‘Thank you, that’s really kind of you. I hope everything works out. Oh, before I forget, would you mind putting up one of these posters for me? I’m running a book speed-dating night at the pub next week, in case you fancy it?’
‘Sounds like fun, we’ll try and make it.’
‘Excellent! Sorry, I need to dash,’ said Bea, glancing at her watch, ‘I’m due at the Cosy Cat in a minute.’
‘No problem. I might pop over for a slice of cake later to cheer myself up.’
‘I’ll put something aside for you,’ said Bea, turning to leave.
‘Thanks,’ Anya replied. ‘Oh, and Bea?’
‘Yes?’
‘Don’t say anything to anyone, will you, about closing the shop? We haven’t really decided one way or another yet, and I don’t want anyone knowing until we have.’
‘My lips are sealed,’ Bea assured her.
As Bea rushed across the green towards the café, she couldn’t help thinking about the tough decision that lay ahead for Anya.
She was lucky her parents were both still in good health, but she knew that would change one day.
She couldn’t imagine her parents not being around for ever; the prospect was too awful to contemplate.
Bea was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn’t notice the woman walking towards her, carrying a coffee in a takeaway cup until it was almost too late.
‘Oh god, sorry,’ said Bea, side-stepping at the last minute to try to avoid bumping into her.
‘Oh, shit,’ said the woman, looking up from her phone a second too late and crashing straight into Bea, her cup lurching up in the air, covering them both in hot liquid.
‘Oh no!’ screamed the woman. ‘Wow, that’s hot, are you okay?
’ she asked, nudging her sunglasses down her nose to look at Bea.
‘That was totally my fault, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going at all,’ she apologized.
‘It’s fine,’ said Bea, taking a tissue out of her bag and attempting to mop herself down.
‘It’s Bea, isn’t it? From the bookshop?’ the woman asked.
‘And you’re… Katerina, right? We met at the fête?’ Bea asked, recognizing her immediately.
‘Yeah, hello again,’ Katerina sighed, shaking out the dregs from the cup. ‘Pistachio latte, totally scrumptious, what a waste.’
‘Let me get you another. It’s from the Cosy Cat, right?’ Bea asked.
‘Oh, no. It was my fault, I should be getting you a coffee,’ Katerina insisted.
‘It’s no trouble, I work there part time. I was just about to start a shift actually. Seriously, it’s on the house, okay?’
‘Okay, well, thank you,’ said Katerina, pulling her sunglasses back down. ‘I was just going to go and watch the ducks for a bit.’
‘Well, you go and sit on the bench and I’ll bring you another coffee in a minute.’
‘If you’re sure? That would be great. Thank you.’
Bea hurried towards the Cosy Cat. She couldn’t quite believe her luck.
Katerina, aka K. L. Fletcher, was back in Blossom Heath, and she was just about to get her a coffee.
Should she confess to knowing who she was, or let her sit and have her coffee in peace?
It must be exhausting being a celebrity, so Bea wasn’t surprised that Katerina preferred to be incognito, covering her face with those huge sunglasses and using only her initials as her official author name.
No, she wouldn’t say a thing, Katerina had told her she was here to write, to get some peace and quiet, and Bea wasn’t going to spoil that for her.
She’d just get the replacement coffee and take it out to her. That was it.
Katerina was sat quietly by the duck pond, watching the world go by, when Bea returned with a fresh pistachio latte.
‘Here you go,’ said Bea, handing her the takeaway cup.
‘Thanks,’ Katerina replied, smiling up at her. ‘Do you want to sit?’ she asked, patting the vacant space next to her.
‘Oh, okay, if you don’t mind?’ said Bea, sitting down.
‘It’s peaceful here, isn’t it?’ said Katerina, looking out over the pond as the ducks squabbled over stale breadcrumbs.
‘Yeah, it is,’ Bea agreed, pausing before adding bravely, ‘how’s the writing going?’
‘Ah, yes, I’d forgotten I told you that,’ Katerina admitted. ‘Let’s just say it’s not right now. I’m under a lot of pressure, which is just stifling my creative flow to be honest.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ said Bea. ‘Your last book was so—’
Katerina froze, the cup paused halfway to her mouth. She turned to look at Bea and whispered, ‘You know who I am, don’t you?’
‘I think I do, yes. You’re K. L. Fletcher, aren’t you?’ Bea asked, cursing inwardly as she broke her promise to herself not to let on as to the author’s real identity.
‘Uh-huh,’ Katerina replied in a flat, monotone voice.
‘Don’t worry,’ Bea added quickly. ‘I won’t tell anyone, I promise.’
‘I suppose it’s my own fault, really,’ Katerina sighed, ‘I did include your wagon in my newsletter, and I told you I was a writer. It was silly of me, but I couldn’t resist,’ she continued, a smile lighting up her face, ‘your bookshop is so pretty.’
‘Thank you,’ said Bea, feeling herself blush. ‘That’s lovely of you to say.’
‘Well, it’s true,’ said Katerina, reaching out and patting Bea’s hand.
‘I mean it though,’ said Bea, ‘I really won’t tell anyone you’re here.’
‘Thank you,’ said Katerina, the relief clear in her voice. ‘And thanks for the coffee, Bea. I’m sure I’ll see you again,’ said Katerina, standing to leave.
‘I hope so,’ Bea replied, smiling as she watched Katerina walk away.